Local parking guide

Parking in Manchester

What a parking ticket costs in Manchester, what it costs to park, what a resident permit costs, who enforces it and how to challenge one.

Manchester City CouncilGreater ManchesterEngland

Two things about Manchester are worth knowing before you look at anything else, and both cut against what people expect. There is no clean air charge anywhere in Greater Manchester. A charging Clean Air Zone was directed by government in 2020 and withdrawn in February 2022, and what replaced it is an investment plan with no charge attached. If you have driven in from a city that does charge, that difference is real and it is easy to get wrong. And most resident parking permits here are free. Not reduced — free, for every vehicle registered at an address in a scheme. Councils commonly charge for one, and the central London schemes charge hundreds of pounds a year, so a free permit is worth real money.

Manchester City Council Greater Manchester England

Band 2Penalty charge band
£2–£4/hourOn-street tariff
NoFree on Sundays

Manchester publishes its resident parking schemes individually and its city centre zone on a map, without a total. We do not state a figure the council does not publish.

What a ticket costs in Manchester

Manchester City Council issues penalty charge notices at Band 2.

LevelFull chargeIf paid early
Higher level £70 £35
Lower level £50 £25

What the higher and lower levels mean, and every stage if you do not pay →

Other charges you can get in Manchester

Not every notice you get is a parking ticket. These are issued under different powers, and some of them cost more.

ChargeAmountIf paid earlyNotes
Business or business visitor permit, renewal after the first year £45 Free for the first year.
Additional book of ten single-day visitor permits Not confirmed The council's own page says the price is to be confirmed and cites £5 on other schemes, so we do not publish a figure. Up to two extra books a year.

Paying by phone

Manchester City Council accepts PayByPhone. Check the sign in the bay for the location code before you start a session — it is the code, not the street name, that decides what you are charged.

On-street tariffs

AreaPer hourMaximum stayNotes
Zone 1 — city centre core £4 2 hours Charges apply Monday to Sunday, 8am to 8pm. Free after 8pm and before 8am, and on bank holidays.
Zone 2 £4 2 hours Same tariff as Zone 1, same hours. Free after 8pm and before 8am, and on bank holidays.
Zone 3 £2 3 hours Half the city centre rate with an hour longer. Charges apply Monday to Sunday, 8am to 8pm.
Zone 4 £2 10 hours The all-day zone: ten hours costs £9.00. Charges apply Monday to Sunday, 8am to 8pm, and at weekends you can pay for the whole weekend at once.

Resident permits

First vehicleFree
Second vehicleFree

The council states that most permits are free of charge, and that resident permits are available for every vehicle registered at an address in a scheme. Terms are set scheme by scheme, so check your own before assuming. Residents also get two free visitor permits and a free book of ten single-day permits; further books are chargeable. Business and business visitor permits are free for the first year.

The codes you will see on a ticket here

Every penalty charge notice carries a contravention code. It tells you what you are accused of, and whether the charge is at the higher or the lower level.

CodeWhat it meansLevel
01 Parked in a restricted street during prescribed hours Higher
02 Parked or loading/unloading in a restricted street where waiting and loading/unloading restrictions are in force Higher
05 Parked after the expiry of paid for time at a pay and display bay Lower
06 Parked without clearly displaying a valid pay and display ticket Lower
07 Parked with payment made to extend the stay beyond initial time (meter feeding) Lower
12 Parked in a residents or shared use parking place or zone without clearly displaying either a permit or voucher or pay and display ticket Higher
16 Parked in a permit space without displaying a permit Higher
19 Parked in a residents or shared use parking place or zone displaying an invalid permit, an invalid voucher or an invalid pay and display ticket Lower
21 Parked in a suspended bay or space, or part of a bay or space Higher
23 Parked in a parking place or area not designated for that class of vehicle Higher
24 Not parked correctly within the markings of the bay or space Lower
25 Parked in a loading place during restricted hours without loading Higher
26 Vehicle parked more than 50cm from the edge of the carriageway and not within a designated parking place Not confirmed
27 Parked adjacent to a dropped footway Not confirmed
30 Parked for longer than permitted Lower
40 Parked in a designated disabled person's parking place without clearly displaying a valid disabled person's badge Higher
47 Parked on a restricted bus stop or stand Higher
48 Stopped in a restricted area outside a school Higher
99 Stopped on a pedestrian crossing and/or crossing area marked by zigzags Higher

Who enforces, and where to appeal

Manchester City Council enforces on-street parking and bus lanes across the city. There is no clean air charge to enforce, so unlike Birmingham there is no third kind of notice here.

Manchester is outside London, so an appeal against a parking penalty charge goes to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. Challenge the council first: only its notice of rejection opens the tribunal route.

How to challenge a ticket, step by step →

Related rules

Other cities

Common questions

How much is a parking ticket in Manchester?
Manchester issues at Band 2, the higher of the two bands available outside London — the same band as Birmingham. The amounts are in the table above, and half is payable if you pay within 14 days.
Is there a Clean Air Zone charge in Manchester?
No. There are no clean air charges to drive anywhere in Greater Manchester. A charging zone was directed by government in 2020 and withdrawn in February 2022, replaced by an investment-led plan with no charge. If you have been told otherwise, it is out of date.
Do I have to pay for a resident parking permit?
Mostly no. The council states that most permits are free of charge and that a resident permit is available for every vehicle registered at an address in a scheme. Terms are set scheme by scheme, so check yours — but the default here is free, which is unusual among large English cities.
Is parking free on Sundays in Manchester?
No. Charges apply Monday to Sunday, 8am to 8pm, in all four city centre zones. What is free is the evening and early morning — after 8pm until 8am the next day — and bank holidays.
What is code 48 on my ticket?
Stopped in a restricted area outside a school, at the higher level. It is worth knowing that those markings are only enforceable where an upright no-stopping sign accompanies them, with days and hours on it. Check the photographs on your notice for that sign before deciding whether to challenge.
Which app do I use to pay?
PayByPhone. Note that this is a different service from the one Birmingham uses, so an account there will not work here — a small thing that catches people driving between the two.

Sources

Figures last checked 8 September 2026